The Madhya Pradesh by-polls are underway. The elections for the Mungaoli and Kolaras constituencies will come to an end on 24th February. The campaigning for the constituencies came to an end on 22nd February.
The competition in the by-polls is being seen as a battle between two men chief minister Shivraj Chouhan from BJP and his rival Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress. The postponement of the elections to 24th February is attributed to the deaths of Congress MLAs, Mahendra Singh Kalukheda from Mungaoli and Ram Singh Yadav from Kolaras. The outcome of the two by-polls will give a keen insight into the dynamics of the battle for the BJP-ruled state slated for some time this year.
The elections are seen to be a battle directly between Chouhan and Scindia. Chouhan has argued saying that if a citizen of Madhya Pradesh gives BJP five months it will deliver five years’ worth of work. Scindia on the other hand, a former royal is greeted wherever he travels by cried of “Maharaj ki jai!” Mr Scindia also made it clear that this battle goes beyond BJP versus Congress, the age-old story but is a battle in fact of Scindia versus Chouhan.
Congress has chosen Mahendra Singh Yadav as the candidate for Kolaras and Brijendra Singh Yadav for Mungaoli. BJP has in contrast fielded Devendra Jain from Kolaras and Baisahab Yadav from Mungaoli. The reason why it’s such a matter of pride for Scindia is that both the seats belong to the Guna Lok Sabha constituencies which are represented by Scindia himself. Chouhan instead is using the development standpoint to veer the votes his party’s way. The two parties are fighting like it is, in fact, the decisive battle for the two, Scindia also said that instead of waiting for six months it wouldn’t matter if the assembly elections are held this month. Let’s hope he needn’t eat his words.